We Shine the Spotlight on ARROW Star Katie Cassidy

Heroes are carefully crafted from the brutal sands of time, and in the CW series ARROW, Oliver Queen was forged by five harsh years trying to survive on an island hunted and tormented by oppressors at every turn. It steeled his resolve to return home and eradicate the evil festering in his home city so that those he loved would be free of such fear and domination. Fortunately for Oliver, he has a few key friends and family watching his back along the way. During December’s WB Mondo International Press Tour, one such friend, actor Katie Cassidy — who plays Oliver’s former-flame turned confidante Laurel Lance — shared insights into her character’s increasingly complex relationships, a few teasers about the potential of transitioning into Black Canary, and what TV Shows she’s addicted to on DVD.

Maybe you can talk a little bit about the Laurel and Thea relationship. We haven’t seen a lot of it, but I suspect because of their history of the Oliver Queen family and her family that there should be at least some history. Why haven’t we seen more of that and will we be seeing more of that?KATIE: You’ll definitely get an opportunity to see the history between Thea and Laurel. Thea does something that sort of gives them an opportunity to bond with one another and I don’t want to give anything away, but she sort of sees Thea as her younger sister, you know. They’ve had many years together and I think she feels for her. I definitely think Laurel has a sensitivity towards her.

What’s it like coming into a show where your character and everybody has this mythology that has been documented and seen in episodes of other shows before, just little hints of that character? I mean, were you aware of that mythology? Have you studied it? What do you think about being the Black Canary?KATIE: Well, I definitely, obviously, was aware of it when I signed on to the show, of the background and the mythology and everything. And I did do some research, but I didn’t want to dive into it too much because I didn’t want it to affect my take on the character. And I think for our creators, they saw something in me that was similar to what they felt like Laurel would be. And I just try to play true to the way that I interpret her, and I think hopefully responds well to the fans and the Laurel Lance character, and it’s been good.

What’s the thing you feel like makes you feel like Laurel?KATIE: I think Laurel has an enormous amount of [strength], she stands up for what she believes in. She’s a strong woman. And I’m very supportive of women and working. And I feel like I’m pretty stubborn, and I think Laurel’s also pretty stubborn. She can’t help, and I also have a quality to myself, that I’m almost honest to a fault, and I feel like she’s the same way. She can’t help but say what she thinks when she’s asked. And I shouldn’t say I sort of, I’m definitely like that.

What about the amount of work? Were you prepared for that? The grueling hours.KATIE: I literally feel like I haven’t slept in a year. It’s exhausting. But at the same time, it’s so worth it. It’s so part of what I do. It pays off so much. It’s all I want to do. I’m like I’ll sleep later. Like, it just is sort of there with me all the time. And, yeah, the hours can be long. But again, all the crew and all the cast wanting to be there, it makes it so much easier. Everyone’s excited to go to work in the morning. Everyone’s excited to be there, and having that, it’s motivating.

Do you have a favorite hero or heroine now?KATIE: Wonder Woman is pretty cool. I don’t know. I feel like they’re all really cool. It’s like just to be a superhero in general is cool. I feel like I’m kind of a fan of them all.

Are you excited or worried next season to wear a suit of the Black Canary?KATIE: Well, you never know — it’s TV — what can happen. I don’t know. I have no idea. I think that’s a question you’d have to ask for Mark and Andrew. As far as am I excited about it, yeah, that would be awesome, being a girl and I want to kick ass. I’m very pro-women. So for a female to sort of stand up like that, I love that. I am drawn to that. So, yeah, I’m not worried about it. I’m more excited about it.

Everybody’s watching TV these days by buying the DVDs of the whole season. And this will be one of those shows, I’m sure, that fans will want to own and watch later. Do you have a relationship with watching TV that way? What do you think of the idea that your shows will be available like that with special features and all that stuff. Do you like that yourself as a fan?KATIE: I do like that aspect. I think that’s really cool. Having said that, as of right now, I don’t have a ton of time to watch much TV. But I think it’s cool. I like to be accessible in that sort of way and sort of talk about it and be able to share information for people who are interested and be there for the fans. And I think that’s really important and I think it’s cool.

ARROW airs Wednesdays at 8PM on The CW (7PM on CTV in Canada)

Tiffany Vogt is the Senior West Coast Editor, contributing as a columnist and entertainment reporter to TheTVaddict.com. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower).